Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-13

Letters from People Who Are There Show
ing the Credit Fancier's Side of the Case
Plenty to Eat and a Kindly Climate
The Health Report-A Fruitful Soil and
No Idlers.
NEW YORK, June 1.-THE following let
ter has been furnished for publication:
Several papers have taken occasion to pub
lish reports and letters detrimental to Topo-
lobampo and its coionists. Win they now
grant US the opportunity to tell our side of
the casea
Burt Pressey, oneof the engineers employed
on the railway, in letter dated Camp Hol-
land, Sinaloa, Mex, April %, 1887, writds:
fon see we are again at Camp Holland, about
three miles north of our landing at Topoiobampo
We finished the survey of the railroad line on the
iVth and came out In good shape. ! received a
whole batch of Credit Fonciers few days ago.
and regret To see by them that some pretty hard
stores have reached your ears We are getting
lots OF free advertising, and in the end it will be
a help to u.s.
Just TO show you we are not actually starving
VIII give you our exact bill of fare for yester-
aaS dinner; Turtle soup, fish, cabbage iboiledl,
bread and tea Now, although this is not one of
peimohicos cinners. it was plenty good enough,
ana there was plenty of it. Don't YOU Worry one
minute about our getting enough to eat was in
at the bay yesterday, and there was not a single
person on the sick list. also inquired about the
river settlements, and find that with the exception
Of two light cases of woooping cough, all are wei
there did not see an idle man or woman at the
hay. Everything seems to he going nicely, and
all are contented and working hard The kckers
are pretty well thinnetl out
At the river settlement they say they are living
hgh on potatoes, corn, peas cabbage, beets,
turnips, etc, all raised by the colonists
Yesterday morning the fishing boat came in at
the bay and brought on the shore five large tur-
ties, weighing on average rs pounds each,
besides a lot of fish The turtles are fine Dav
before yesterday five of us from the camp and
Mr.. Lowell from the bay took a day of, and all
went on n kind of picnic over TO Duck Island, a
small island about three miles from the bay settle
ment. When We got within half mile of the
island it appeared black with ducks When we
came nearer one of the boys fired off his pistol
and grander sight never saw in my iife
Probably not less than 3o00 ducks flew into the
air. We landed, and in less than half an hour we
had killed with sticks twenty seven big fat ducks,
weighing from three to five pounds each and
gathered twelve dozen eggs They are getting
| more turtle down at the bay than they can use,
| heseles keeping well supplied The turtles are
just beginning to lay eggs which will he another
addition to our supplies.
We received our mail all m a bunch the other
| day, one of the boys getting seventeen letters,
| and the camp was flooded with papers from all
parts of the country, giving the most blood cufd
| ling reports of suffering and starvation at Topo-
| lohamro 1t would have caused you To laugh to
| see the boys come into the tent after a good
square meal and pick up thosr papers and com
menee kicking and thrashing and doing no small
| amount of swearing about the Internal hes OF the
more than internal lars They have all been
spending their leisure time for the last few DAYS
| writing homa encouraging letters and disputing
| the statements made in the newspapers.
| The weather has been fine, the warmest it has
| been at any time with the Thermometer. situated
ii is at home being IS degrees May is said to
Nv the wal1nest month Ill the year and If the nler
| Cth'y don't 80 cut If sight entirely W. ear well
afford 10 stand it For Tie sai.. OF the delightful
weather we GIT the rest uf the tjuie Tie nights
| are perfect fe'Ing always cod enough fur TWO
| heavy blankets.
| b. T. C!use writes ticm Snfragio, May g,
| isS1
| We have lately cleared seven or eight acres of
| land ndsr water dutch west uf ai,r main build.
| ing. and nearly flushed planting it We have
already taken off between h,0oa and ,eoo pounds
of vegetables from our garden, and there is prob
| ably twice much more nearly matured.
| counted 1911 cabbage heads dhe majority OF
| which are ready for Gathering last Sunday,
besides which there is quite amount Of cauli.
flower, beets. turnips. radtsh kaie lettuce etc,
| ready for The table